


12 Days of Christmas Carols

by illegal_deer



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: 12 Days of Christmas Carols, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Cute, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Getting Together, Holidays, Love, M/M, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Romance, Series, gay hallmark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27808906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illegal_deer/pseuds/illegal_deer
Summary: Join me on my quest to post a fluffy Enjoltaire oneshot every day in the twelve days leading up to Christmas. Each one will be named after a different Christmas song. If you always wanted gay Hallmark, than this one's for you.
Relationships: Combeferre/Courfeyrac (Les Misérables), Combeferre/Éponine Thénardier, Cosette Fauchelevent/Marius Pontmercy, Cosette Fauchelevent/Éponine Thénardier, Courfeyrac/Jean Prouvaire, Enjolras/Grantaire (Les Misérables), Joly/Bossuet Laigle/Musichetta
Comments: 8
Kudos: 12





	1. Introduction

I was in a bit of an emotional and creative slump (thanks, covid) and thought I’d try to break through that with a fluffy, Christmas fic challenge. I picked 12 of my favorite Christmas songs, and from the 14th to the 25th, I will be posting an Enjoltaire oneshot every day. Each one will be titled after one of the songs. The background ships will vary. If anyone wants to try this with their own ships, feel free to (or try it with your own favorite holiday songs!), and if you tag me in it I’ll totally give it a read!

[Song List](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/75o4lEQ3tQfBuBrgmXBFmH?si=WuYwNiOoTgyI8CSo4w3jLg):  
[We Need a Little Christmas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMEFH96WDh4)  
[12 Days of Christmas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZL1u-0Tycc)  
[Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76WFkKp8Tjs)  
[Deck the Halls](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgEVI8DEkF8)  
[Baby It's Cold Outside](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUoJ8e2J-_w)  
[It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN_R4pR1hck)  
[Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3l9p3FdyHU)  
[There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT8pIpzDX0g)  
[Happy Xmas (War Is Over)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flA5ndOyZbI)  
[Fairytale of New York](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBM156DuxvA)*  
[Silent Night](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA2i_Ujidoc)†  
[Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxxTHzERTsk)

*includes language that may be offensive  
†includes heavily religious themes


	2. We Need A Little Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grantaire forces Enjolras to have a Christmas movie marathon with him to help distract them from everything wrong with the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title inspired by We Need A Little Christmas

“Today we’re watching Christmas movies.”

“Hm?” Enjolras looked up from his phone, where he had intently been reading a news article: _Hospitals Overwhelmed as Cases Continue to Rise_.

“We’re watching Christmas movies.” Grantaire reached over and took Enjolras’ phone out of his hands. “And no more news.”

“Isn’t it too early for Christmas movies?”

Grantaire walked over to the stove and started heating some hot cocoa. “It’s December 14th. Christmas is less than two weeks away.”

“Really?”

Grantaire nodded.

“I didn’t even notice it was so close,” Enjolras murmured.

"Probably because this year has been a fucking dumpster fire. Which is why we need Christmas now.”

“I didn’t even know you liked Christmas that much.”

“This year I do,” said Grantaire definitively. “This year I’m gonna be holly jolly if it fucking kills me. Because this year I need it.” He handed Enjolras a cup of hot cocoa. “And so do you.”

“Thanks.” Enjolras took the mug and took a sip. Grantaire always made the best hot cocoa. “We can watch Christmas movies, but you have to pick them. I never really watched many growing up.”

Grantaire’s eyes widened. “No. _No_. You’re kidding.”

Enjolras shrugged. “I might have seen _Frosty_ once or something.”

“You might have seen _Frosty_ once? That’s it? That’s all?”

“Pretty sure Courf made me suffer through _Love, Actually_.”

 _“Love,_ _Actually_?" Grantaire groaned. "That's, like, the worst Christmas movie possible! This is a much more serious situation than I anticipated.” Grantaire grabbed a pen and a scrap of paper and began furiously writing down a list of movies. “Some of these are classics, some are personal favorites. Also, I am telling you now that we will be watching _It’s a Wonderful Life_ and _Nestor the Long-Eared Donkey_ sometime soon. Just not now because I refuse to cry today.”

“A movie called _Nestor the Long-Eared Donkey_ makes you cry?”

“Oh, absolutely. Those puppet donkeys pack a punch.” He handed the list to Enjolras. “:Look this over and decide which titles stand out. I’m gonna make us more hot cocoa.”

Enjolras began looking over the list. Some of the titles sounded familiar while others didn’t. “ _Eloise at Christmastime_? Is that the one about the little kid who lives in a hotel?”

“Hell yes it is. Being absurdly rich and living in the Plaza Hotel? With Julie Andrews as your nanny? That six-year-old is living the dream. Also you can indirectly thank it for our relationship, because if it wasn’t for Gavin Creel the singing waiter I might have never known I was gay.”

“A singing waiter?”

“You have to see it to understand.” Grantaire poured a fresh mug of hot cocoa for Enjolras. “That movie is nothing but serotonin. Might be a good place to start.”

***

By the time the singing waiter and the hotel owner’s daughter were dancing on top of a piano to old showtunes, Enjolras was totally sold. Grantaire was right; this movie was pure serotonin, and maybe a Christmas movie marathon was what he needed. After each movie he felt less and less focused on everything going on in the world. Grantaire’s running commentary only enhanced the experience. (“We will have a very long conversation deconstructing the meaning of the homeless man ghost person later tonight.” “If you like Heat Miser more than Snow Miser we’re breaking up.”)

As _White Christmas_ drew to a close, Enjolras turned to Grantaire. “Thank you. You were right. This did make me feel better.”

Grantaire smiled. “Good.” He leaned over and lightly kissed Enjolras.

“This year was pretty fucked, wasn’t it?”

Grantaire nodded. “It sure was.”

“Thank you for being here with me through it. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“I don’t know what I would have done without you either.”

Grantaire wrapped his arm around Enjolras, and the two sat in silence for a moment. Finally, Grantaire spoke up. “So I know it’s pretty late, but I’m not tired.”

“Me neither.”

“In that case, we’re watching _Rudolph_. And if you’re in the mood for something really trippy, we can follow that up with _Rudolph’s Shiny New Year_.”

Enjolras smiled and snuggled closer to Grantaire. “Sounds perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally forgot this existed while I was writing this, but if you're a fan of the 2012 Les Mis movie then I'd recommend watching the video of Gavin Creel and Aaron Tveit performing "Take Me Or Leave Me" because it might enhance the experience.


	3. 12 Days of Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grantaire panics about what to give Enjolras for Secret Santa.

This whole mess was Courfeyrac’s fault.

The 12 Days of Christmas Secret Santa debacle had been Courf’s idea. Admittedly, it was fun at first. Each member of their friend group (and Gavroche, who Courf insisted should be an honorary member) was assigned a different person to give a gift to for each of the twelve days leading up to Christmas. In classic Courf fashion, the idea seemed extravagant and unnecessarily complicated, but eventually they all agreed.

So far, Grantaire had genuinely loved all of his gifts, and it was fun to guess who each one could be from. Some were obvious: the mixed tape of riot grrl songs was obviously Eponine, the paper mache swan in a Santa hat had to be Jehan. Others were a bit less clear: a set of colored pencils, a giant bag of Grantaire’s favorite candy (gummy worms), a new dark green beanie. Grantaire had enjoyed giving presents as well: a pocket astronomy book for Combeferre, a tiny music box for Cosette. He’d tried to keep the gifts inexpensive, but he did splurge on a new videogame for Gavroche. The kid deserved a treat, and it was one less thing for Gavroche to shoplift from Best Buy.

But it was December 23rd, and Grantaire was panicking. For the last day, he had been assigned to Enjolras. He had put off thinking about it for as long as possible, but he couldn’t put it off anymore. Grantaire had no idea what to get for Enjolras. None whatsoever. Everything he considered felt wrong. He could play it safe, give him something like a pack of hot cocoa or maybe a book. The problem was that deep down Grantaire didn’t want to give Enjolras something small and impersonal. He wanted to give him something different. Something special.

He paced around his room, biting at his nails. He’d been trying to stop doing that, but right now the stress was too much. Sighing, he took his phone out of his pocket and typed out a message.

_please come save me_

He felt his phone buzz almost immediately after sending the message.

_be right there_

Grantaire continued to pace and worry until he heard a knock at his door. He ran to it and opened it. Eponine stood there, Gavroche in tow. “Azelma’s watching the others, but Gavroche insisted on coming. Hope you don’t mind.”

“He doesn’t mind!” Gavroche sounded indignant. “Grantaire and I are friends. He got me the best Secret Santa gift.”

“Hey!” Grantaire feigned offense. “How did you ever know which was mine?”

“Because you’re the coolest of Pony’s friends.”

“I brought you here to be nice. So don’t fucking call me that.”

Grantaire moved out of the way so Eponine and Gavroche could come in. “So.” Eponine shrugged off her leather jacket and tossed it on a chair. “What’s the crisis?”

“I don’t know what to get for my last Secret Santa. I know I can’t say who it is or whatever because that defeats the point, but...”

“It’s Enjolras,” Eponine interrupted. “You wouldn’t be this panicked about anybody else. Plus, I’ve already figured out almost everyone’s schedule.”

“What? How? Why?”

Eponine shrugged. “Most people are being very obvious with their gifts. And I was bored.”

Grantaire shook his head. Eponine never ceased to amaze him. “So. Enjolras. I need help.”

“Is Enjolras your boyfriend?” Gavroche cut in. He was busily looking through Grantaire’s collection of comic books.

Grantaire’s face reddened. “Uh...no. No. We’re just friends. Sort of.”

“You’re sort of friends or you’re sort of just friends?”

“I...uh…”

“They’re sort of friends who are probably in love with each other,” Eponine explained.

“Woah, no no no no. He’s not in love with me.”

“But you’re in love with him?” Gavroche asked.

“Oh...it’s not…”

“Whatever,” said Eponine. “Clearly you need help. So what are your ideas so far?”

“I don’t know. Maybe like….a book?” Eponine raised her eyebrows. She looked unimpressed. “Or...uh...hot cocoa?”

“Bor-ing,” Grantaire groaned.

“Stop being a dick,” Eponine told her brother. She turned back to Grantaire. “He is right. You really don’t have any other ideas?”

“They’re all stupid. I’ve been trying to think of something for weeks. Everyone else was so easy to pick things for.”

“Well, what’s the best thing that someone gave you? Aside from Gavroche and my obviously stellar choices.”

Grantaire walked across the room and took something out of his bag. He handed it to Eponine. The item was a small box that had a tiny replica of a painting on the lid.

Eponine inspected it. “Nice. What about it makes it your favorite?”

Grantaire thought for a moment. “That painting is really important to me. See.” He pointed. “Something about how that woman stands there alone, completely isolated despite the fact that there is a group of people just a few feet away from her..it’s just...it’s melancholy and honest and...well, it’s perfect. It’s always been really special to me. It’s one of my favorite paintings of all time.”

“So whoever gave it to you must have known it was your favorite? That’s cool.”

Grantaire shook his head. “That’s the thing. I’ve never actually told anyone that it was my favorite. Which means whoever gave it to me knew me well enough to know that it was just the type of thing I would love.”

“Okay,” said Eponine. “So that gift is your favorite because it’s something that you love that’s personal to you. You like the gift, but you also like what it represents.”

\“Yeah. I guess so.”

“Well then, that settles it. Get Enjolras something personal that shows him that you know him and care about him.”

Grantaire shook his head. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Uh, I don’t know Eponine. Maybe because that’s fucking terrifying.”

Eponine shrugged. “If it’s worth anything, your gift for me was perfect.”

Grantaire smiled. He had given Eponine a sketch of her and Gavroche. “I’m glad you liked it. I knew it would be pretty obvious who it was from, but it felt right.”

“Who do you think gave you the box?”

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I really don’t know. Usually I would think you or Jehan, but I’m almost positive you both gave me something else.”

“You got that last Friday, right?”

“Yeah,” Grantaire froze. “Wait. You know everyone’s schedules…”

Eponine smiled mischievously. “Not telling. Don’t even think about it.”

“Please!”

“Nope.” Grantaire sighed in defeat as Eponine continued. “Now, back to the matter at hand. I think you should give Enjolras something like you did for me. Or like whoever gave you the box did for you.”

“But Eponine that’s…”

She held up her hand to stop him. “You asked for my advice, and there it is. Take it or leave it. I should be going now. I still have to get something for my last Secret Santa.”

After letting Gavroche borrow one comic book (that somehow turned into a whole stack of comic books before he was out the door), Grantaire wished the two goodbye. The problem was, Grantaire could only think of one personal thing to give to Enjolras, but it would be impossible to conceal who it was from. Still, Grantaire kept turning the idea over in his mind, unable to think of a gift idea that he liked better. After an hour of stress and uncertainty, Grantaire stopped pacing, sat down at his desk, sharpened his pencils, and got to work.

***

The next morning, Grantaire woke up at 7am (an ungodly hour, in his opinion) and walked to Enjolras’s apartment to secretly deliver his gift. He would be going back to the apartment later that night for Courf’s Christmas party, but he knew he had to stop by early if he wanted to deliver the gift undetected. Of course, Enjolras would know it was from him as soon as he saw it - how could he not - but even so, the idea of being there when he actually opened the present horrified Grantaire. So he snuck up to the apartment, left the package outside the door, and left as quickly as possible.

Grantaire spent the rest of the day panicking about the gift. He called up Eponine and rambled for at least an hour. She tried to assure him not to worry so much, that she was sure Enjolras would love it, but Grantaire was not convinced.

As the time for the party approached, Grantaire’s nerves got worse and worse. When he finally arrived at the apartment, he was so anxious that he felt dizzy. He knocked at the door, and Combeferre greeted him warmly, asking to take his coat and showing him where the cookies and hot cocoa were. Grantaire found himself immediately trying to find Enjolras, but it was harder than he expected. The party wasn’t big, but in Courf, Enjolras, and Combeferre’s small apartment, it seemed much more crowded. Finally, Grantaire reluctantly gave up, hoping he could somehow manage to hide from Enjolras until the Secret Santa reveals. At that point he’d be forced to confront his fears, but he’d rather delay things for as long as possible. Grantaire was a master at avoidance.

He sighed and made his way to the fire escape. He needed a smoke. It had begun to snow lightly, and the contrast of the cold air and the hot match made Grantaire shiver.

“Hi.”

He spun around. Somehow, he hadn’t heard the door open, and now Enjolras was standing behind him.

“Hi.” Grantaire fought the urge to bite his nails. “So...pretty cool party.” Christ, why did he have to be this awkward?

“Yeah.” Enjolras nodded and an uncomfortable silence fell between them. It struck Grantaire suddenly that perhaps Enjolras was nervous as well. “I...uh...got your gift today. At least I think it’s yours.” Grantaire didn’t say anything. He couldn’t bring himself to confirm what Enjolras already knew. Why didn’t he give Enjolras something else? Maybe some socks. Or a candy cane. Enjolras was looking at the ground. Grantaire saw him quickly glance up at him before continuing. He began to speak quickly. “I just wanted to say that I really loved it and you’re super talented and it’s probably the nicest gift I’ve ever gotten so....”

“Wait...really?”

“Well...yeah. It’s really great, Grantaire.”

“I thought maybe it was weird or...I don’t know...too personal or something.”

“No! No, not at all. I mean it was...personal...but it’s really amazing and…” Enjolras trailed off for a moment. “How did you know?”

“You have that picture of your old house on your bookshelf. I knew that you missed it there and....” Grantaire paused. “I hope it looks okay. I didn’t have the picture with me so I had to go off of memory.”

“It’s perfect.” Enjolras looked at him. “I don’t know how you did it.”

Grantaire smiled. When he had decided to draw something for Enjolras, the house seemed like a natural choice. Enjolras had been born in France and lived with his mother just outside of Paris until she passed away when he was eight.

Enjolras leaned against the railing next to Grantaire. “I really wanted to give you something special, but...uh…” This time Grantaire was sure he seemed nervous. “I’m not very good with gifts.”

“I’m sure someone as smart as you picked something good.” Enjolras seemed to be searching Grantaire’s face for any hint of sarcasm, but for once Grantaire was serious. “Of course, I could only tell you for sure if you told me what it was.”

“It was the box. With the Edward Hopper painting.”

“Oh my god, Enjolras. That was literally the best gift I got.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No! That’s my favorite painting of all time. That painting made me want to be an artist. How did you know?”

Enjolras shook his head. “I didn’t. I just saw it and...I don’t know. It reminded me of something you would like.”

“I didn’t realize you knew me so well.”

“I didn’t realize you knew me so well either.”

Their eyes locked, and Grantaire could feel his heart beating. He wasn’t sure when they got so close. “Enjolras, I -”

And then Enjolras was kissing him. It took a few moments for the initial shock to wear off, but soon Grantaire felt himself instinctively wrapping his arms around Enjolras.

“Whenever you guys are ready, we're gonna do that Secret Santa reveal thing.”

The two broke apart, and Grantaire spun to face the door. Eponine was leaning against the doorframe, looking smug. "We'll be in in a minute," said Grantaire.

"Uh-huh." Eponine smirked and shut the door.

Grantaire turned back to Enjolras. "I guess we should go in."

"I guess so." Enjolras reached out and took Grantaire's hand. "Want to hang out after the party?"

Grantaire smiled. "Of course."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone's curious, Grantaire's favorite painting in this is Edward Hopper's "New York Movie."


	4. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grantaire and Gavroche make some new friends while waiting in line for a mall Santa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> based on Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (specifically the Bruce Springsteen version, but any version will do)

“I think I’ll ask for porn.”

Grantaire shook his head. “Absolutely not. I don’t want Santa to think I told you what porn is. Pick something else.”

Gavroche sighed. “I can’t ask for Jack Daniels again. This year has to be better.”

“You’ll think of something else. There’s more than just Jack Daniels and porn. Plus, at the pace this line is moving we’ll be waiting for another hour. Lots of time to think.”

Taking Gavroche to the mall to see Santa had become a yearly ritual. Gavroche had stopped believing in Santa years ago - if he ever believed in him at all - but there was nothing he loved more than trying to shock Santa with inappropriate gift requests. A bottle of Jack Daniels. A special edition box-set of all eight _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ movies. A one-way ticket to Las Vegas along with a guidebook to the best casinos. Standard things any eleven-year-old would want.

“Excuse me!” Grantaire felt a tug at his shirt. He turned and saw a little girl who couldn’t be older than four. Her hair was tied up with little bows with jingle bells, and she was holding a glove. “I think you dropped this.”

“Oh! Thanks.” Grantaire reached down and took the glove. “I like your jingle bells.”

“Thank you!” She beamed up at him. “Daddy picked them out for me! He told me that I should always look violent.”

“Violent?” Grantaire asked. Him and Gavroche exchanged a look.

“Sorry about that. I think she means vibrant.” Grantaire looked up and... _holy shit._ He had not expected to see the most beautiful human being alive while waiting in line for a mall Santa. “Her dad likes her to stand out.”

“You’re not…”

“No, no. I’m best friends with her dads so I offered to bring her here today. I’m Enjolras.” He reached out his hand. Grantaire shook it.

“Grantaire. I mean...that’s me. I’m Grantaire.” Grantaire heard Gavroche stifle a laugh next to him, and he prayed Enjolras didn’t notice. “This is Gavroche. His older sister’s my best friend.”

“Nice to meet you. This is Claire.”

Claire turned to Gavroche. “What are you asking Santa for?”

“Well I’m between a pack of cigarettes and a subscription to _Playb_ -”

Grantaire cut him off. “Gav!” he hissed. “I’m so sorry. He likes to...uh...try to surprise Santa Claus.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Enjolras assured him.

Claire looked up at Enjolras. “Can I have cigarettes?”

Enjolras laughed. “I don’t think so.”

Claire turned to Grantaire. “What do you want Santa to bring you for Christmas?”

“Oh. I hadn’t really thought about it. I guess I would like some new paint brushes.” 

“Are you an artist?” Enjolras asked him.

“Yeah. Well, not exactly. I mean, I make art, but I don’t know if I’m good enough to -”

“Grantaire’s an amazing artist,” Gavroche cut in. “You should see his art sometime. He’s pretty much the most talented person I know.”

Grantaire could tell Gavroche was trying to make him sound impressive, but he wished he was a little more subtle about it. “He’s exaggerating.”

“I’m not! He designed all his tattoos. He promised he’d design one for me when I’m old enough. Or earlier, if I can convince Santa to bring me a fake id.”

Enjolras’ eyes travelled over Grantaire’s arms, and he felt himself blush. He wished he had kept his jacket on.

“Those are beautiful,” Enjolras said, after a few moments. “I mean, you’re really really talented.”

“Wow, uh...thanks.”

“I like that one!” Claire pointed to a colorful phoenix that stretched across Grantaire’s forearm.

“Thank you. That one’s pretty new.”

“Are you asking Santa for paint brushes so you can paint on your arms more?”

“Tattoos are a little different than normal paintings,” Enjolras explained. “They’re made with special paint that doesn’t come off.”

“They’re so pretty!” Claire was still staring at the phoenix. “I want paintings on my arms. I want a unicorn!”

Grantaire laughed. “I’m afraid Gav and I aren’t setting a good example for her. First cigarettes, now tattoos. Her dads won’t be very impressed.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. Courfeyrac will probably think it’s hilarious if she starts pestering them for tattoos.” Grantaire watched Enjolras eye the line in front of them. They still had a long way to go. “Is the mall Santa line always like this?”

Grantaire nodded. “Oh, yeah. Especially the weekend before Christmas. Also, I’m pretty sure the mall hired Paul again to...” Grantaire paused for a moment and glanced at Claire. He made sure to choose his words wisely. “To ‘help’ Santa Claus. He falls asleep a lot when he’s waiting for the next kid. People say he...has a lot of drinks while working.”

“Drinks like hot cocoa?” Claire asked.

“Like special hot cocoa, just for adults,” Grantaire answered.

“Why do they keep bringing him back?” Enjolras asked.

“Well, Gavroche’s sister works at Hot Topic and her manager is a huge gossip. Apparently Paul is just some random guy who works at that furniture place where you buy the mattresses with the little number remotes. Every year they try to find someone else and end up begging him last minute just because he looks the part.”

Grantaire jumped as he felt someone touch his arm. He looked down and saw Claire. Somehow he didn’t notice how close she had gotten, and he thanked god he hadn’t accidentally stepped on her. She was touching his phoenix tattoo.

“Claire!” said Enjolras. “That’s not polite.”

“But it’s so pretty!”

“That doesn’t mean you can touch. Say you’re sorry.”

“It’s no problem,” said Grantaire.

“I’m really sorry. I think she’s getting bored in line.”

Grantaire thought for a moment. “Claire, do you know how to play I Spy?”

Claire nodded vigorously. “I play it with my daddies in the car sometimes.”

“How about the four of us play together? Maybe it will make this line move faster!”

“Okay!” said Claire, excitedly. “Can I go first please?”

The group played I Spy for the next half hour. Aside from having to ban Gavroche from choosing anything from the window of Spencer’s, the game went smoothly. Grantaire tried his best to not get too distracted by staring at Enjolras. It felt truly unfair for someone who looked like that to be casually hanging out in a mall. The Enjolrases of the world were only supposed to exist in movies and magazines and elaborate paintings of Greek gods.

“We’re next!” said Claire. Grantaire felt a pang of sadness. He never thought he’d be upset about getting out of this godforsaken line, but he’d somehow actually ended up having fun, and he really didn’t want to say goodbye to Enjolras.

A few minutes later, Claire was skipping towards Santa Claus, her jingle bells ringing noisily. Enjolras walked alongside her.

“You should get his number. Also, I’m asking for weed.”

Grantaire turned towards Gavroche. “We’re not exactly in the same league, Gav.”

Gavroche let out an exaggerated sigh. “Come on! It’s obvious you like him.”

“It is?”

“Well, it’s obvious to me. Because I know you.”

“That’s not the point. There’s just...no way. Look at him. Look at me. There’s no way.”

“You’re dumb.”

“You better watch out. If Santa Paul overhears you calling people dumb, you’ll get coal for Christmas.”

“He literally pretended to look at your tattoos as an excuse to check you out.”

“That is absolutely not what happened.”

“Whatever you say.” Claire was done, and Gavroche made his way up to Santa. Gavroche got right to the point ( _“honestly man, I don’t think I can get through the holidays without weed”_ ), and the conversation didn’t last very long after that. As Gavroche and Grantaire were leaving, they saw Enjolras and Claire waiting not too far away.

“See! He waited for us because he’s into you.”

Grantaire rolled his eyes. “Stop it, Gav.”

They reached the place where Enjolras and Claire were waiting. “Thanks for your help today. You really helped the line move faster. You’re really great with kids.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I enjoyed getting to know you.” He paused. “You and Claire, I mean.”

“I enjoyed getting to know you both, too.” There was a moment of silence, and Grantaire felt himself beginning to panic. He tried to think of something to say to fill the awkward pause. Something other than _“you seem super nice and are absolutely gorgeous and would you -”_

“You guys should go out sometime. Like, on a date.”

Grantaire felt horror wash over him. “Gavroche, that’s-”

“I would like that,” Enjolras interrupted. “We could maybe get coffee sometime...only if you’d want to, of course.”

Grantaire’s horror instantly turned to shock. He didn’t understand why Enjolras wanting to go out with him, but now was not the time to ask questions. “Yes. Yes, no, definitely. Yes.” Grantaire handed his phone to Enjolras to enter his number in. “I’ll call or text or something.”

“Sounds good.” Enjolras handed the phone back. “I’ll see you soon, then?”

“Yeah, definitely. See you soon.”

When Enjolras and Claire were out of earshot, Gavroche spoke up. “You owe me big time.”

“Oh, do I?”

“Hell yeah you do.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking weed. I don’t think Santa Paul is gonna pull through this year.”

Grantaire sighed. “Does ice cream work?”

“Fine. But I’m getting a sundae. Not just a boring cone.”

"Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words cannot express how much I love to write dialogue for Gavroche


	5. Deck the Halls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grantaire agrees to help his friends decorate a children's hospital for the holidays.

Grantaire hadn’t expected to spend his Friday evening in the children’s ward of a hospital, but when Joly had asked everyone if they could come help him decorate for the holidays at the hospital where he was doing his residency, Grantaire had agreed.

Grantaire had only faint memories of helping his grandma decorate for Christmas when he was a little kid. After she passed away, his parents never really decorated much, and as he got older he didn’t really understand the point of all of it. It seemed silly to spend so much time decorating only to take them all down in a few weeks.

But of course, he wasn’t going to say no to helping decorate a children’s hospital. His friends had split up into small groups, all working on their own projects. Courfeyrac and Jehan were sitting on the floor, cutting out paper snowflakes and decorating them with glitter. Grantaire saw Jehan say something, and Courf threw back his head in laughter. Cosette and Eponine were huddled in a corner making popcorn chains. Cosette had her head resting on her girlfriend’s shoulder, and every so often Eponine would lean over and give her a kiss on the head. Joly supervised Musichetta and Bossuet as they hung up a large banner saying “Happy Hanukkah!” from the ceiling ( _ “Okay, a little higher on Bossuet’s side. No, now a little lower.” _ ) Bahorel and Feuilly were putting holiday decals on the windows, while Combeferre and Marius untangled twinkle lights. Combeferre seemed to be having an easier time than poor Marius, who had not only failed to untangle his lights, but who had managed to get tangled up himself.

“Hey. Do you mind helping me with this?” Grantaire turned and saw Enjolras standing behind him. The two of them had been decorating the Christmas tree. Enjolras was holding a large golden star that was ornately decorated with different colored gemstones. “It’s for the top of the tree, but I can’t reach it, and I think the step ladders are already in use.” He gestured towards Musichetta and Bossuet.

“Oh, yeah. Of course.” Grantaire looked up at the tree. It was obvious neither one of them would be able to reach it themselves. “Um, is it okay if I pick you up?” He felt a bit awkward asking. He and Enjolras were still a new thing, and Grantaire was still in that exciting yet nerve wracking early phrase that involved getting nervous before touches and mustering up courage before kisses. Honestly, he still couldn’t believe that he and Enjolras were a thing at all. 

“I don’t mind,” Enjolras answered. Grantaire lifted Enjolras up so he could place the star on top of the tree.

“Thanks.” Enjolras came back down, but Grantaire’s hands stayed resting on his hips. The two looked at each other, and Grantaire could see the lights from the tree reflecting in Enjolras’ eyes. Grantaire knew his breathing was shaky, but the moment felt so perfect that he pushed aside his anxiety, leaned over, and lightly kissed Enjolras.

The two parted and Grantaire could see Enjolras smiling at him. Grantaire thought about how lucky he was to see the way Courfeyrac laughed and Eponine held Cosette and the lights glittered in Enjolras’ eyes. He thought about how lucky he was to be in a room full of people who he loved as they all worked together to create something joyful and fun and pretty. And for the first time that he could remember, he finally understood the point of all this.


	6. Baby It's Cold Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjolras gets stuck at Grantaire's apartment during a snowstorm.

When Enjolras agreed to help Courfeyrac with his final, he expected to be editing an essay or maybe even making some flashcards. At most, it was possible he’d be expected to scrounge around campus to find materials to make some kind of diorama. He absolutely did not expect to be acting in a play, because of course Courf neglected to tell him that the final was for his Theatre Direction class.

The premise of the project was interesting enough; Courf was focusing on gender and sexuality in Shakespeare plays by intentionally changing the gender dynamics in romantic scenes. Enjolras’ part was from _Much Ado About Nothing_. He was playing Beatrice and was responsible for performing a few sections of dialogue from various parts of the show. This wouldn’t necessarily be a problem if Grantaire hadn’t been assigned to play Benedick. Enjolras was certain that Courf had orchestrated this on purpose, but when he attempted to call him out Courf feigned innocence.

So that’s how Enjolras ended up sitting in Grantaire’s apartment, mere days before winter break, in the middle of a blizzard, trying to practice lines for a gay Shakespearean romance.

“I would not deny you, but by this good day -”

“It might be a little more convincing if you looked at me during your lines,” Grantaire interrupted.

“Oh.” Enjolras felt his face heat up. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Grantaire smiled at him, and Enjolras felt his pulse quicken. “Wanna start again from my line?”

Enjolras nodded.

“A miracle! Here’s our own hands against our hearts. Come, I will have thee, but by this light I take thee for pity.”

“I would not...uh...would not deny you....shit.” Enjolras sighed, frustrated. Looking at Grantaire during his lines had not been helpful at all. He had tried to focus on what he was saying, but Grantaire’s eyes were just so green and he had this paint smudge on his neck and he had really nice hands and why hadn’t Enjolras noticed that before and…

“Have you ever heard of the fuck technique?”

Enjolras’ jaw dropped. “The...I’m...the…what?”

“It’s this idea that because Shakespearean language is so weird for us to adapt to, if you add one ‘fuck’ in each sentence, it helps loosen us up. You can really use any swear word that feels right; fuck is just the easiest. So like I would say: A fucking miracle! Here’s our own fucking hands against our goddamn hearts. Come, I will have thee, but by this fucking light I take thee for pity.”

Enjolras laughed. “I don’t know how much that’ll help, but…”

“What can it hurt?”

“True.” Enjolras cleared his throat. “I would not...uh...fucking deny you, but by this good day, I yield upon great persuasion, and partly to save your fucking life, for I was told you were in a fucking consumption.”

Grantaire laughed, and his laugh was so perfect and… “Peace! I will fucking stop your mouth.”

Grantaire stopped laughing, and Enjolras felt himself blush. This was when they were supposed to kiss. He felt himself begin to panic and jumped up from where he was sitting. “It’s pretty late.” He knew he was talking too fast to seem natural. “I should probably go.”

“Enjolras, I can’t let you go out there right now.” Grantaire gestured to the window, and Enjolras turned to look. Grantaire was right. It was a whiteout. “If you try to drive you will literally die, and I know we may argue a lot but I actually don’t want that to happen. You can wait here for as long as you need until it lets up, but I really don’t want you going out there. It isn’t safe.”

Enjolras knew Grantaire was right; it would be stupid and dangerous to make any attempt to drive right now. “You’re right, uh, thanks.”

“No problem. If you spend the night” - Enjolras felt his eyes widen - “you’re more than welcome to take the couch. I have a lot of extra pillows and blankets and stuff. Eponine crashes there at least once a week and always leaves a good review.”

“Oh, cool.” There was an awkward pause for a moment before Grantaire stood up.

“What’s something to drink?”

“Sure. That would be nice.”

Grantaire walked to the stove. “You fine with hot cocoa?”

“Sounds great.”

Grantaire started mixing some ingredients together. “So how did Courf convince you to be part of this?” he asked, as he poured some milk into a pot. “He promised to buy me a pizza at some point in the future.”

“Wait. You’re being compensated for this?”

“You’re not?”

“No! I just agreed to help him with his finals because he’s my friend. He conveniently forgot to tell me exactly what that would entail until it was too late.”

Grantaire chuckled. “You have to work on your negotiation skills, my friend.”

“I guess so.”

“Hey, it could be worse. At least  _ Much Ado _ is a good play. If we’d gotten stuck with  _ Romeo and Juliet _ I probably would have shot myself.”

“Yeah, I think Courf thought the Beatrice and Benedick dynamic would be easy for us.” 

Grantaire raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

“Because we argue so much! Just like they do,” Enjolras added hastily, realizing with horror the way his original comment had sounded. 

“Ah. That we do.” Grantaire half-smiled and began pouring the hot chocolate into mugs. “I usually go all-out with toppings. Is that okay with you?”

Enjolras nodded, still kicking himself for what he’d said.

Grantaire hadn’t been exaggerating. By the time he brought the mugs over, they had marshmallows, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and sprinkles. He handed one to Enjolras. “Thanks.” Enjolras took a sip. “Holy shit, this is delicious.”

Grantaire smiled. “I’m glad you think so.”

“What’s in it?”

“I add different stuff each time. You’re probably tasting the cayenne pepper. It’s always a favorite of mine.”

“It’s amazing.”

The two drank in silence for a moment, before Grantaire spoke up. “So, are you staying here for the holidays?”

Enjolras nodded. “Yeah. Courf invited me to come to his parents’ place with him and Jehan, but third-wheeling for Christmas seemed like hell. On the bright side I get to pet sit for Marius and Cosette, so I will get to hang out with a dog.”

“Hanging out with a dog sounds infinitely better than spending time with family.”

“Oh definitely. How about you? Are you staying up here?”

Grantaire nodded. “Yeah. Usually it’s just me and Eponine up here, but she’s spending the holidays at Combeferre’s. I think Feuilly is staying here too, but he’s always working a ton around this time of year.”

“What exactly is the deal with Combeferre and Eponine? I hear Courf tease Combeferre about it all the time, but Courf’s just like that so it doesn’t really mean much. They definitely act like they’re dating, but they never say that they’re dating, and now it’s been going on for so long that I’m nervous to ask.”   
  


Grantaire laughed. “Don’t worry about it. I ask Eponine about it constantly, but she just gets pissed off. At this point, I’m starting to think that she doesn’t even know what’s going on.”

“At least I’m not the only one.”

“Don’t worry; you definitely aren’t. You’re like the fifth person to ask me what’s going on with them. Whatever the deal is, I’m happy for her. But it will be weird to not have her here over the holidays. I’m glad you’ll be here though; at least then it won’t feel so lonely.”

“You’re just saying that because you want to come hang out with Marius and Cosette’s dog.”

“Well, that is a perk.” Grantaire smiled. “But, believe it or not, I do actually like spending time with you.”

Enjolras felt his pulse quicken. Had they been sitting this close the whole time? They seemed much closer than they had before, and Enjolras could see that Grantaire’s green eyes had tiny flecks of gold in them. He felt a little dizzy. “I like spending time with you, too.”

There was a pause. Then Grantaire spoke. “You know, we never finished the scene.”

“What?” Enjolras had been almost positive that him and Grantaire had been having some kind of moment. They had felt so close to...something. The possibility that perhaps he had invented it in his head left Enjolras with a pang of disappointment. He had been so sure but...

“We’re supposed to kiss.”

_ Oh. _

“I...uh…” Enjolras tried to string together some kind of coherent sentence, but his mind went blank. 

“Only if you’re comfortable with that, of course.”

“No! I mean, yes! I mean, I am. Comfortable. With that.”

“Start from your line?”

Enjolras nodded. “I would not deny you, but by this good day, I yield upon great persuasion, and partly to save your life…” Enjolras trailed off. He couldn’t remember the end of the line. He was too distracted...the paint smudge...the gold flecks...the way Grantaire bit his bottom lip…

“Peace. I will stop your mouth.”

And then Grantaire kissed him, and neither of them were acting anymore. Enjolras could feel Grantaire’s hand tangled in his hair, and he grabbed the sides of Grantaire’s shirt to pull him closer. 

“Apollo,” Grantaire whispered against Enjolras’ lips. It was a nickname he had always resented, but this time it didn’t feel mocking or sarcastic. He softly ran his thumb against Grantaire’s lips.

“I wanted this for so long,” said Enjolras.

“So did I.” 

“Please kiss me again.” And so he did.

Enjolras and Grantaire spent the next few hours kissing and talking and drinking more hot cocoa. They realized that they had fallen in love with each other around the same time, but had both been convinced that the other one could never feel the same. The hours flew by until finally, sometime around four in the morning, Enjolras could feel himself getting tired. 

Grantaire must have noticed. “You know, the bed is more comfortable than the couch.”

Enjolras smiled. “Oh really?”

“Mhm.” Grantaire helped Enjolras up, and Enjolras followed him into his room. 

“It’s still snowing,” said Enjolras, glancing out the window in Grantaire’s room.

“So are you glad I didn’t let you leave and die in the cold tonight?”

Enjolras smiled. “Definitely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I did include the whole hot cocoa thing so I could reference the "say, what's in this drink" line without it feeling weird. Also I guess Grantaire being really good at making hot cocoa is a "thing" in my stories now for some reason.


	7. Chapter 7

“Is it too cliche to say that this really is the happiest time of the year?” Grantaire was walking around the outdoor Christmas market with his boyfriend. “I know I’m not the most joyful person but, I don’t know. Something about this time of year is just different.” The two of them watched as a little girl excitedly ran up to a reindeer, holding out a carrot. “And before you tell me about how that deer is being held against his will and is probably being abused, let me pretend for one magical moment that it belongs to Santa or something.”

Enjolras laughed. “Actually, you’re in luck.” He gestured to a sign. “The deer is being rehabilitated. Looks like he was brought to the animal preservation badly injured. Probably from a hunter.”

“So you’re telling me that’s a cruelty-free rescue reindeer?”

Enjolras nodded. “Looks like it.”

“In that case, we are going and meeting him. Immediately.” Grantaire dragged Enjolras towards the reindeer. The little girl had left, but a woman was sitting by him to take donations for the animal preservation. Grantaire and Enjolras both gave her some money, and then approached the reindeer.

“So why is Christmas the happiest time of the year for you?” Enjolras asked and Grantaire scratched the reindeer behind his ear.

“Well for one thing, it tends to lift me out of my seasonal depression for a week, so that’s a plus. Also gingerbread is one of the best flavors ever created. Other than that, I don’t really know. I guess as a little kid I always thought of it as a time to be happy. Mostly because it got me out of school for a few weeks, but also because Christmas is always just a big deal for kids. Anyway, I guess now I remember it as a time to be happy. It’s almost like I was conditioned to be elated by the scent of pine and peppermint. Pavlov should study me.”

Enjolras laughed. “I think I understand what you’re saying. I haven’t really done anything special for Christmas since I was really young. I’d always be studying or working or something like that.” He looked at Grantaire. “You know, this is probably the most Christmassy thing I’ve done in over a decade. I’m really glad you brought me here tonight.”

“You know what would make it even more Christmassy?” Grantaire asked.

“What?”

“If we shared one of those marshmallow snowmen things that they’re selling at the snack stand.”

Enjolras smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is so short because I was having tons of trouble thinking up any sort of plot, so it's just more of a little scene.


	8. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjolras and Grantaire attend a friend's Christmas wedding

“May I have this dance?”   
  
Enjolras looked up to see Grantaire holding his hand out towards him. Enjolras smiled. “Certainly.”   
  
Grantaire smoothly wrapped his arms around Enjolras and the two began to dance together. Sometimes Enjolras forgot what a good dancer his boyfriend was.   
  
“I still can’t believe Cosette convinced Eponine to have a Christmas wedding,” said Grantaire. “She’s never really been a Christmas person.”   
  
“I was a bit surprised, too,” Enjolras agreed.   
  
“It is beautiful though.”   
  
Enjolras nodded. Cosette and Eponine had really planned the most beautiful wedding. Everything was white, from the twinkle lights to the roses, and it seemed like every inch of the venue was decorated with tiny crystals.   
  
“How much longer do you think before Eponine makes Cosette stop playing only Christmas music?”   
  
Enjolras laughed. “I give it twenty minutes at the most.”   
  
“At least they’re playing The Nutcracker now. It’s much better than whatever was playing before this.”    
  
“You mean ‘Last Christmas’?”    
  
Grantaire made a face. “Yes. That.” They danced for a few more beats in silence. “Did I ever tell you I was in The Nutcracker?”   
  
“Really?” Grantaire didn’t talk about his dance background much. Enjolras knew that he missed it so he never wanted to force him to talk about it. “As who?”   
  
Grantaire laughed. “I was a mouse. It was when I was just a kid.”   
  
“I had no idea I was getting to dance with the expert,” Enjolras teased.   
  
“I don’t know if I’d call myself an expert.”   
  
“Well I haven’t fallen yet, so maybe your expertise is rubbing off on me.”   
  
“You guys having fun?” Enjolras looked up to see Cosette next to them. She was dancing with Eponine, of course.   
  
“Everything’s perfect,” Enjolras answered. “You both look absolutely beautiful.”   
  
“Not to brag, but I did help Eponine pick that dress,” said Grantaire.    
  
“Well then, you have wonderful taste,” said Cosette, smiling at her wife.   
  
“So,” Eponine turned to Grantaire. “When do I get to help you plan you’re wedding?”   
  
Enjolras tripped, stumbling into Grantaire. Grantaire didn’t miss a beat, but Enjolras could see his face turn red.   
  
“Oh, Eponine,” Cosette laughed. “Be nice.”   
  
“Okay, okay.” Eponine smirked at Grantaire. “I’m just saying.”   
  
Cosette mercifully pulled Eponine away. Enjolras and Grantaire were left alone together. Enjolras could sense that Grantaire wasn’t sure what to say. It wasn’t that Enjolras wouldn’t want to marry Grantaire; in fact, he absolutely would want to marry Grantaire. He realized then, that if Grantaire asked him to marry him in that very moment, he would definitely say yes. But the two of them had never discussed it, so Grantaire’s best friend coming up and mentioning it made Enjolras wonder.....had Grantaire talked about this to Eponine before?   
  
“Well,” Enjolras thought for a moment. “If we ever do get married, at least we can agree that we won’t play ‘Last Christmas’ during the reception?”   
  
Grantaire laughed. “Absolutely.”


	9. There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a visit home for the holidays, Grantaire runs into someone from his past.

“I’m warning you now, I haven’t been ice skating since the last time we came here.”   
  
“So three years?” Eponine busily laced up her skates.   
  
“Yeah, that sounds right,” Grantaire answered. “So don’t make fun of me when I fall.”   
  
Eponine scoffed. “Yeah. Sure thing.” She stood up and patted Grantaire on the shoulder. “How about I promise to not let anyone else laugh at you when you fall? As your best friend, it is my job to make sure only I get to ridicule you.”   
  
“Fine.”   
  
The two hobbled out towards the rink. “So how’s the new internship going?”   
  
Grantaire shrugged. “Good, I guess. I work for this guy, Gros. He’s a prick. But if I don’t do this internship I won’t get to graduate, so...”   
  
Grantaire and Eponine stepped onto the ice, and Grantaire immediately felt himself slipping. He grabbed onto Eponine to steady himself. She laughed.   
  
“Oh, no you don’t. You are not pulling me down with you.”   
  
Grantaire managed to get his balance. “I make no promises.”   
  
“I’m glad you were able to come home for Christmas. It’s so boring here without you.”   
  
“How can you be bored in such a thrilling town?”   
  
Eponine rolled her eyes. “Did you hear they’re shutting down Screamzone?”   
  
“No way!”   
  
Eponine nodded. “Yeah. Too many lawsuits after that last ferris wheel accident. Drained them of money.”   
  
Dreamzone, dubbed Screamzone by those who had been there, was the closest thing to an attraction that their town had. All the accidents and unsafe conditions had made it notorious enough to draw crowds from a couple towns over. Eponine and Grantaire had worked there together in high school.   
  
“They have threatened to close it down before though, so who knows if it’ll actually happen,” Eponine continued.   
  
“I thought they would never close that place, especially after - “   
  
“Grantaire, look out!” Eponine yelled, but it was too late. Grantaire collided with a man who had been skating in the opposite direction, and the two tumbled to the ground.   
  
Grantaire and the man helped each other up. “Shit, I’m so so sorry; I’m a really bad skater and......” Grantaire trailed off. He knew the man standing in front of him.   
  
A woman who had been skating with the man spoke up. Grantaire hadn’t even noticed her. “Oh my god, Grantaire and Eponine? Is it really you?”   
  
“Cosette? This is so weird! I was just telling Grantaire that Screamzone is finally closing.”   
  
“Yeah, I heard about that! Some of my best memories from high school came from working there with you guys.”   
  
Eponine and Cosette continued talking busily to each other, while Grantaire and Enjolras, Cosette’s brother and the man who he had so unfortunately collided with, stood awkwardly off to the side. Grantaire tried to think of something to say. He hadn’t seen or spoken to Enjolras since the summer after his senior year, the last year of them working at the park together.    
  
“Remember how much you two would argue?” Cosette laughed, gesturing towards Grantaire and Enjolras.   
  
“Oh yeah,” Eponine smirked. “They were always at each other's throats.” She raised her eyebrows at Grantaire, and he felt his face flush.   
  
“Eponine, do you wanna grab some hot cocoa?” Cosette asked. “Hot cocoa at the snack stand is surprisingly yummy.”

“Definitely!” Eponine turned back towards Grantaire and Enjolras. “I’ll give you guys a chance to catch up.” Grantaire glared at her. Eponine could be so conniving.

The two women skated away, leaving Grantaire alone with Enjolras. “So,” Enjolras finally spoke. “Are you still in art school?”

Grantaire nodded. “Yeah. I just came back home for the holidays.”

“Same here.” 

“Are you still living in Philadelphia?”

Enjolras nodded.

“Cool.”

They both stood in awkward silence. Grantaire couldn’t help thinking back to the last time they had seen each other. It was the day before Enjolras left for college. He had asked Grantaire to hang out.

“So, do you wanna keep skating?” Enjolras asked.

“Oh, yeah. Sure.”

They began skating side-by-side. “I can’t believe they’re actually closing Screamzone.”

“I can’t believe it took them this long,” countered Enjolras. “Do you remember the time that boy got launched off of the Adventure Dier when we were working it?”

“In all fairness, he was being a dumbass. You don’t just stand up on a roller coaster and expect it to go well.”

“That was probably the most terrified I’ve ever been.”

Grantaire laughed. “Oh god, remember how you just completely froze?”

“Of course I froze! I had been the one to check the seat belts. I thought he was dead and it was my fault! Sixteen-years-old and I already had a kill count.”

“Luckily, he didn’t die and he and all his friends admitted they undid their seatbelts because of a stupid dare.”

“Luckily, you moved quickly enough to stop the ride and get help. You were always saving the day.”

Grantaire blushed. When Enjolras had started at Dreamzone, it was obvious that it was his first real job. Grantaire had been working ever since he was old enough to pass as fourteen. It was certainly true that he had to come to the rescue a few times, but Enjolras wasn’t nearly as hopeless as he seemed to think. Plus, it wasn’t really Enjolras’ fault anyway; the two boys were far too frequently assigned to work the Adventure Diver, which had been aptly nicknamed the Adventure Dier after a nearly comical sequence of malfunctions and accidents. It was easily the most dangerous ride in an already dangerous park.

“Hey, well remember that time you saved me from that guy who threatened me with a knife after I told him not to cut in line?”

Enjolras laughed. “That was insane.”

“If you hadn’t been there, I would definitely be dead right now.”

“I’m very glad you aren’t.”

They continued skating, and Grantaire caught Enjolras looking at him out of the corner of his eye. Grantaire wanted to say something, but how could he even start that conversation after so many years? He couldn’t even be sure if Enjolras still remembered everything that happened between them or if it even meant anything to him at all.

Grantaire and Enjolras had always had a heated relationship. From day one, they argued constantly. But as time went on, a different sort of tension began to develop within their always chaotic friendship. 

Then one night, they snuck into the park after hours. It was not long before they left for college, so it felt like one last adventure.  _ “What are they gonna do if they find us? Fire us?”  _ Grantaire remembered joking, both knowing that they wouldn’t be back next season anyway. They had spent the whole night there talking and climbing up different attractions while they drank (in hindsight, an almost breathtakingly stupid and reckless combination). 

They watched the sunrise from the top of the Adventure Diver. Grantaire could never remember who made the first move, but at some point they were moving closer than they were before and at some point he was brushing a golden curl away from Enjolras’ eyes and at some point they were kissing, and maybe he couldn’t remember who started it, but he remembered exactly how it made him feel.

“Can I ask you something?” Enjolras asked suddenly. Grantaire felt his pulse quicken.

“Yeah, sure.”

“That day in your car. Before I left for school.”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you...I mean, why didn’t we talk? About what had happened?”

Grantaire felt anxiety wash over him. He had thought about what he would say if he saw Enjolras again hundreds of times, but now that it was happening, he wasn’t sure how to begin. After the night at Dreamzone, Grantaire and Enjolras didn’t talk about what had happened. In fact, they didn’t talk at all until Enjolras texted him the day before he left asking to hang out. Grantaire had wanted so badly to be honest with Enjolras and tell him exactly how he made him feel, but then at the last minute he had panicked.

“Why did you say ‘it was cool knowing you’?”

Grantaire cringed. Hearing Enjolras say it was a million times worse than just thinking it in his head.

“I mean I totally understand that it really wasn’t realistic for us to try anything with both of us moving away and I know it was just a summer fling, if you can even call it that,” Enjolras was rambling at this point, and Grantaire could sense just how nervous he was. “But it just seemed so final, like you didn’t even want to try to stay friends, and I was just wondering if I did something wrong or if -”

“Enjolras,” Grantaire cut him off. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Grantaire took a deep breath.  _ Here comes the speech I’ve spent the last two and a half years rehearsing.  _ “You’re so incredible. You’re so smart and brave and kind and obviously the most gorgeous person I’ve ever met. And it just seemed so unfair to tie you down to  _ me  _ of all people when we were about to move so far away from each other. You deserved to find someone who was on your level, or at least as close to your level as someone could be, because let’s face it, no one would actually ever be good enough for you. You deserved far better than me, and I thought you could go to college and forget about us and find someone who could give you that. And I wanted more than anything to stay friends, but the truth was I knew I couldn’t just stay friends with you because I was in love with you and I know that’s  _ so  _ selfish of me but -”

Enjolras stopped skating. “You were in love with me?”

“Well, yeah. Aside from Eponine, you were like my best friend, and then you were more than my best friend, and then...I don’t know. But yes.”

“I was in love with you too.”

Grantaire’s eyes widened. He hadn’t anticipated that. “But...why?”

“You made me see the world differently, and I’ve never found anyone else who makes me feel like that.”

“Oh.” 

“I don’t want this to be the last time I see you.”

“I don’t want that either.”

The two of them stared at each other, and before Grantaire knew what was happening they were leaning closer to each other and Grantaire had his arm wrapped around Enjolras’ waist.

And then Grantaire slipped.

He began to fall, accidentally bringing Enjolras with him. They hit the ice much harder than last time.

“Are you okay?” Grantaire asked.

Enjolras nodded. “I think so.”

“I can’t believe I knocked you over  _ twice _ .”

Enjolras smiled in that adorable way Grantaire had never forgotten. “Remember how we used to run around the water coaster tracks and see who would fall first?”

Grantaire laughed. “It was always me! Every time!”

“I’m glad to see nothing’s changed.”

Grantaire smiled. He was glad too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Istg this silly Christmas oneshot just inspired a whole multichapter prequel


End file.
